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KNYL Yuma AZ, February 2023
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I took a friend to visit her parents who were vacationing in the Yuma area.
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Near Cape Mendocino, CA, March 2023
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On this flight, after departing Grants Pass, OR, I worked my way through some scattered showers along the California coast and encountered this rainbow near Cape Mendocino.
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KSBA Santa Barbara, CA, April 2023
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With SpaceX increasing their launch cadence from Vandenberg to every couple weeks, I've stopped trying to get to every one. On this beautiful morning, I dropped by Santa Barbara for fuel after chasing the SDA Tranche 0 Flight 1 launch.
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KMIT Shafter, CA, April 2023
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A fuel stop on the way to my annual inspection. The perspective has me shadowed by an Ayres Thrush.
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1Q4 New Jerusalem, CA, April 2023
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I somehow became responsible for running the Hayward Air Rally this year. As part of that effort, I stopped at our timing line airport to check it out from the ground. The airport is surrounded by almond groves.
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L05 Kern Valley, CA, June 2023
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On the way back from a visit to Yosemite, I stopped to check out the campground at Kern Valley. It's a pleasant site with bathrooms and shower facilities.
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KHSD Sundance Airport, Yukon, OK, August 2023
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As the course designer, I couldn't compete in the Hayward Air Rally this year, so instead, I worked the Okie Derby into my plans to visit Churchill. The Derby is scored on accuracy of time and fuel estimates similar to the Rally. A friend and I flew it in the stifling Oklahoma summer heat and came in in the middle of the pack. Under Derby rules, I could use my GPS and JPI fuel totalizer, and the latter chose the Derby flight to read out one of the largest errors (~7%) in all my flights with it! It behaved as expected for the rest of the Churchill trip. The best theory so far is that the heat allowed bubbles to form in the fuel line which affected the totalizer reading, but which were dissipated in the carb bowl so as not to affect engine performance.
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CYYQ Churchill, MB, CAN, August 2023
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| Cleo in Churchill again. I got a good look at a polar bear on one of the guided tours while in town, but did a little aerial reconaissance out to Cape Churchill and found what I called the Polar Bear Convention Center! |
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CYQR Regina, SK, CAN, August 2023
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After a couple days in Thompson, we took an afternoon in Regina as a staging point for the US border crossing the next morning.
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KXWA Williston, ND, August 2023
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US Customs stop upon our return to the states.
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KSAA Saratoga, WY, August 2023
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My friend (also a Tiger pilot) who came along on the trip was a big fan of the hot springs at Saratoga, so we stopped there for a day on the way back.
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KTEX Telluride, CO, August 2023
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At 9069' MSL, Telluride is the highest elevation airport in the US with commercial service, and the second highest overall next to Leadville. It was a nice pleasant day there for a fuel stop.
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L41 Marble Canyon, AZ, August 2023
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I've been stopping at Marble Canyon to survey the California Condors that roost at the Navajo Bridge whenever I'm nearby. It was a full moon the night of this visit.
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KCDC Cedar City, UT, October 2023
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I convened in Cedar City with two other pilot friends for the annular solar eclipse. We drove out to the center line about an hour north of town near Kanosh.
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